Tasting - Fetzer Gewurztraminer

Fetzer
Gewurztraminer
California
2014
$8.95
Wine Enthusiast: 87 pts. A rainy minerality on the nose of this sweet wine manages to cut through the sugared oranges, honeysuckle and ripe, tropical white fleshed fruit, from peach to cherimoya. The palate is full of honeyed apples, white peach and pineapple, but the decent acidity and chalky element stops it short of treacly.
 Color: Yellow
Smell: Honey, pear
Taste: Light, floral, tingly, pineapple, mango
Personal rating: Good wine. I can taste a lot of fruit flavors which I normally can't do. It is refreshing and delicious.

Tasting - Maipe Malbec

Maipe
Malbec
Mendoza, Argentina
2015
$6.95
Robert Parker: 87 pts. The 2015 Maipe Malbec is another 100% Malbec, with a deep purple color and a style similar to the Lexicon, with chocolatey, blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, as well as touches of licorice and earth. It is delicious, soft, and round.
Color: Deep red
Smell: oakey, cherry
Taste: Oakey, dry, little sour
Personal rating: I'm not digging this wine. I didn't find it "soft and round". I found it to be an unappealing wine.

Tasting - Manoir du Carra Beaujolais Nouveau Gamay

Manoir du Carra
Beaujolais Nouveau Gamay
Beaujolais, France
2014
$4.95
Shop review: A pretty, floral wine, with a rose petal note underscoring the rich pomegranate and sweet plum flavors. The fresh acidity is balanced, and a light spice note lingers on the finish.
Color: Light red
Smell: Cherry, ethyl
Taste: Oakey, dry
Personal rating: I like the oakey-ness, however, it overpowers the fruit flavors in this wine.

Tasting - Mapreco Vinho Verde Rose

Mapreco
Vinho Verde Rose
Vinho Verde, Portugal
2015
$7.95
Shop review: The cherry color reveals a slightly fizzy wine that is a very fruitful rose made from the traditional vinho verde white grapes. Adding a splash of red to offer flavors with notes of strawberry, cherry, and berries. A delightful twist on the original.
Color: Peachy
Smell: Peachy, honeysuckle
Taste: Peach, floral
Personal rating: This wine was pretty good! It was sweet and bubbly and refreshing.

Tasting - Mars & Venus Chardonnay

Mars & Venus
Chardonnay
La Mancha, Spain
2014
$5.95
Shop review: A very nice value Chardonnay that comfortably over-delivers vs. its modest price tag. No oak here, just bushels of clean, crisp, Chardonnay apple and stone fruit with a hint of caramelized pineapple. Juicy and clean, this is a midweight white that's just perfect for parties or weeknight sipping.
Color: Yellow
Smell: Pear, citrus
Taste: Sour, dry, hot, apple
Personal rating: Definitely not a favorite. The sour aspect was not appealing.

Tasting - Beringer Chenin Blanc

Beringer
Chenin Blanc
California
2014
$5.95
Shop review: A fresh green-apple aroma and vivid citrus and crisp apple flavors are supported by vibrant acidity in this medium-bodied wine. The texture is smooth but crisp, making lots of good food pairings come to mind, from pre-meal cheese, to salads, seafood and veggie pastas.
Color: slightly yellow
Smell: Cat pee, pear
Taste: Slightly citrusy, sweet, peachy
Personal rating: I wasn't wowed by this wine.

Tasting - Carraia Aglianico

Carraia
Aglianico
Campagna, Italy
2013
$9.95
Shop review: Produced in the Campania region of Italy, this Aglianico has delicious black fruit flavors with hints of licorice, volcanic soil and tar notes. Classic in nature, yet in a lighter, more crowd-pleasing style, the Carraia is made of the ancient Aglianico grape. This black grape originated in Greece and today is widely grown in Basilicata and Campania.
Color: Deep red
Smell: Blackberry, cherry, smokey
Taste: Very woody
Personal rating: The woody taste overpowers all of the other flavors of this wine for me.